This invention relates generally to monitoring systems, and more particularly to a calibrated tuneable monitor for monitoring the number of seeds planted by seed planting apparatus. The seed monitoring system disclosed herein is capable of monitoring a multitude of simultaneously planted rows.
Present day farming techniques include, among other things, the automatic planting and harvesting of large crop fields. The planting of the seeds to establish a crop field is often accomplished by driving a tractor, or other suitable vehicle, while pulling a multi-row seed dispensing device, preferably several such devices extending transversely of the direction of travel of the tractor while the seeds are continuously dispensed into a number of furrows formed in the field. While the number of rows being planted is determined by the type of equipment and size of field, it will be understood that the seed planting equipment generally used today is commonly operated in pairs. Therefore seed planting equipment may include 2, 4, 6, 8, 12 etc. seed dispensing nozzles for the rows being planted. The automatic seed dispensing equipment is generally driven by a drive wheel which is part of the planter and which receives its drive power from the tractor through a drive shaft or hydraulic system, as is well known in the art.
To assure the farmer of a relatively accurate estimate of the number of plants to be expected in the next harvest, the farmer must accurately determine the number of seeds planted during the planting season. To establish this in the past the farmer would incorporate a counter at the seed dispenser to count the number of seeds being planted. During this period of counting the farmer would manually incorporate means to calculate the distance traveled so that he could determine the area covered. After traveling a predetermined distance while planting seeds the farmer would then calculate the density of population of the seeds over the small area. If the density of population is in accordance with his prescribed yield for the particular field, the farmer may continue his planting operation without change. However, if adjustment is to be made to the planting equipment the farmer must make it at this time and take a second sample of the number of seeds dispensed during travel over another prescribed area. While being somewhat of an automatic system for the planting of seeds this arrangement does not provide means for monitoring the operation of the seeds being planted once the desired seed planting rate is obtained.